When you first start out with web hosting, price will probably be the most important factor. The likely outcome is you’ll end up choosing shared hosting because it is by far the cheapest option. The downside of this is that your website will be sharing server space and an IP address with others. This could lead to problems, including getting your site penalised for the bad practices of other businesses. Alongside this you can find your site slows down, or your emails get interrupted due to sharing bandwidth. Getting your site hosted in this manner will also restrict the number of resources you have access to.
If you’re looking to propel your website up the search rankings, the fact that you are sharing an IP will count against you, especially on Google. The lack of stable bandwidth could become a problem too, particularly if your load time slows down, as this is also a ranking factor. Choosing the wrong hosting could put the overall performance of your site at great deal of risk.
Shared hosting can work for a short time, but you need to be very lucky in terms of the other companies on the server. In the long term, you’ll likely need to switch to an option that offers a dedicated IP address and more secure bandwidth. If your site gets popular and generates a large amount of traffic you may even need to get your own server. Both of these options give you access to more resources than shared hosting and offer better security too. The only downside is they cost more, but with hosting you really do get what you pay for.
Shared hosting will always be the cheapest option but many of the other services are becoming more cost effective because of increased competition. Before you decide on a host you should do your homework and determine exactly what you want for your site. It is always best to think long term; by investing a little more in the hosting at first you can see your site gain more stability and better performance. It is also more likely to rise up the search rankings. We can offer a range of hosting solutions – just get in touch for more information.